Searching for the Heart
by PokemonLuverWulf
Summary: Two matesprits, separated. Read to find out more! Pairings are KatNep, JohnRose, and DaveJade. T for language and fighting.
1. Chapter 1

Karkat glanced nervously at Nepeta, who was tucked under sheets. Her eyes were closed, her skin clammy and hot from fever. She whimpered in pain, turning a little, knocking off the cloth on her forehead. Karkat picked it up, plonked it into a tub of water, wrung it out, then placed it back on her head, smoothing hair out of her face.

He was nervous and on edge. Nepeta had gotten sick five days ago, and seemed to worsen each day. Everyone was worried, but Karkat was the worst. He had not left her room since she had fallen ill, keeping an eye on her and barely sleeping. He had bags under his eyes, which were a little bloodshot.

He felt a large, strong hand on his shoulder. He looked into the hidden eyes of Nepeta's moirail, Equius.

"Karkat, I suggest... no, I order you to take a break and sleep. I will take over. Nepeta will be fine."

Karkat nodded. His vision began to tunnel as he headed down to his room, crashed onto his bed (they had been unable to acquire recuperacoons) and fell into a dreamless sleep.

^.v.^

He didn't know why he woke up. It was dark outside, with small bits of light. Then he heard it again- the sound of a chair scraping along the floor. Karkat got up, and made it to the door when he heard glass breaking. He practically yanked the door off its hinges, and raced for the room that was the source.

Thrusting open Nepeta's door, he glimpsed the troll girl's horns disappearing below the windowsill. Glass was all over the floor, the window shattered. Taking care of the glass, Karkat looked down. Nepeta's silhouette disappeared into the woods, and a chair sat on the ground.

"Bro?" He heard Gamzee, still half asleep, ask. He turned to see everyone gathered at the door, still in their sleepwear.

"Nepeta, she just..."

He didn't say anything else. In a few seconds, everyone was leaping out the window, taking off in Nepeta's direction. She was hard to follow, being small and somewhat quiet, but she would occasionaly make a large crash pinpointing her location.

Finally, they made it to the mouth of a large cave at the base of a cliff. It was not the same one that held so much meaning to Karkat, rather, it was a different section of it. The sand around the mouth of the cave had been disturbed, so it was obvious where Nepeta had headed off to.

The trolls headed inside, brandishing their weapons. Karkat was worried for his matesprit, and didn't do anything when Gamzee made a long drawn out statement about the darkness of the cave and their lack of lights, which was punctuated by 'miracles' and 'motherfuck' multiple times.

Finally, they made it to a large open area. Stalactites dangled menacingly from the top, and Nepeta, all dressed as if nothing was wrong, was standing with her back to them.

"Nepeta! Thank Gog you're okay! Don't ever fucking scare me like that again!" Karkat yelled in relief.

Nepeta did not move, or make any notion of having heard him.

"N-Nepeta?" Equius asked, clearly distressed for his moirail, which was noticable from the torrents of sweat coming off of him.

Nepeta finally turned. Chills went up Karkat's spine as he noticed her eyes; they were cloudy, like someone who was dead.

No one spoke until Tavros did.

"Um, what is, going on?"

Nepeta's eyes widened, and she dashed at them, claws extended. All of the trolls scattered, but Nepeta swerved to match Tavros. Using his horns for leverage, she bounded up and over him, swinging down to kick him square in the face, sending him careening into Vriska.

"Gog, Pupa! You 'kay?" she asked.

"Fine." He said through the blood streaming out of his nose.

"Nepeta, stop it! This isn't like you!" Karkat yelled. Nepeta whipped around and ran at him. He blocked her claws with his sickle. They strained aganist each other, playing a sick game of 'I-push-you-pull,' but it was more like 'I-push-you-bend.'

Sweat poured off of Karkat. Nepeta's face was stone, resembling Dave and his eternal pokerface.

"Please Nepeta," Karkat said, practically begging now, "Please stop. I don't want to hurt you."

Something in Nepeta's face twitched. Her eyes began to clear. "Kar-Karkitty?"

Karkat expanded on the small hole of opportunity. "Yeah, it's me Nepeta. Karkitty, your matesprit."

With every word that Karkat said, Nepeta's eyes cleared. Finally, they were the olive-ringed orbs he knew and loved.

"Kar...kitty..." Nepeta's eyes began to fill with tears. She fell onto him sobbing, babbling. Karkat just hugged her, rubbing her back the way she liked.

Suddenly Nepeta froze, and she began to back up, holding her head. Tears still fell down her face, and spit began to foam in the corners of her mouth. She grasped the sides of her head, and shook it, like there was water in her ears.

"No, getoutgetoutgetoutgetout..."

Karkat took a small step towards her. "Nepeta?"

She wrenched her head up to look at him, her face a mask of pain. She screeched, an ear-splitting sound that tore through all of the trolls eardrums. Karkat ran at her before a dark shape swooped down, throwing a bag that exploded upon contact with the floor, releasing a white powder.

Coughing echoed through the cave, and one by one, the trolls began to fall to the ground, unconcious.

Karkat held his arm to his nose. "Nepeta! NEPETA!" He yelled. Then he saw her, sleeping and tossed over the shoulder of a beast.

Then all he saw was black.

^.v.^

"Get up!"

That was the only warning Karkat had before he was slapped across the face.

Terezi stood over him, smiling. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Karkles."

Karkat rubbed his cheek. "Oh, I think I do." He stood up and looked around. All of the trolls were up, and Vriska was being nice for once, trying to help Tavros stop the bleeding from his nose. There were huge tracks, but they were swiped out at a point, with no way to track them.

"Tez," Sollux said, heading over to the two, "can you smell whoever the hell that was?"

Terezi's face wrinkled. "No, I've still got a noseful of that powder. What the fuck was it anyway, it smelled weird."

"Sleeping powder, probably. And that shit would be a motherfucking miracle if it hadn't been used like that." Gamzee said. He looked serious, but from his speech pattern and swaying, he was not sober yet.

Karkat hung his head. Someone, or something, had taken his matesprit. Gog only knew what would happen to the little olive-blood he loved so much.

Sollux patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, KK. We'll find her."

Karkat cracked a smile. "Thanks, asshole." He shrugged off Sollux and began to head out of the cave, back to the computer. Like or not, the people he didn't want to talk to were probably his only hope for help right now.

**PLW: Soo, yeah. I've had this in my head for a while now, so I finally decided to make it happen. And let me explain some stuff. **

**This is post-Sburb/Sgrub. The game became a legit reality, so now Earth and Alternia are part of the game. The trolls live together, all alive. Terezi is still blind, Tavros is not paralyzed or have metal legs. This is also a continuation of 'Don't Change' and 'Summer Night,' so Karkat and Nepeta are matesprits. The humans live together, but I will say it now: Dirk, Jake, Jane, and Roxy will not be making an apperance, mainly because I haven't gotten there yet, and I planned this without them in mind. There will be some talking about them, but they will not play a pivotal role in the story.**

**So please, enjoy this first chapter. Review as always!**


	2. Chapter 2

John slowly blinked his eyes open a crack, shielding them from the sun. He rolled over, glancing at his alarm clock, which read 6:20. Given the lack of scents, he was probably the first one up.

He stood up, stretching in his Ghostbusters themed sleepwear. It had been a present from his girlfriend Rose. He shuttled down to the kitchen. During the years that the kids had lived together, they had come up with a set of rules. And one of them was that whomever woke up first had to make breakfast. Rose, Jade, and Dave would sometimes sleep in just so John had to make it, and he was good.

Pretty soon, the sound and smell of frying bacon permeated the house. John didn't pay much attention to anything besides his cooking, so he didn't notice the sound of someone on the stairs, until they spoke.

"Bro, you got coffee ready?"

John turned to see his best bro, Dave. The blond boy didn't have his shades on, giving the cook a nice view of his bright red eyes. Dave was also in his sleepwear; a pair of white boxers with the different card suits on them, and a red tank top.

"No, I'm cooking, smartass. You want it, you get it yourself."

Dave shrugged and walked to the coffee machine. The kids had discovered it, and now the boys needed it.

"I don't know how you stand to drink it black, dude. It's so freaking bitter."

"Yeah, well, you drink it sweetened. I don't understand that either."

"Boys, can we not talk about how one cannot understand how the other likes their coffee?" a familiar voice said from the edge of the kitchen, close to the stairs. The boys turned to see Rose, wrapped in a purple silk robe.

"Hey Rose! Morning!" John said, grinning like a goof at his girlfriend. "You in the mood for pancakes?"

The girl smiled. "Of course John. Anything you make is far better than what meager scraps I can attempt at."

John's smile grew bigger. "Aw, gee, thanks." The Heir turned to Dave. "You mind waking up your girlfriend?"

Dave just shrugged, and turned to the stairs, taking his mug of black unsweetened coffee with him. After he left, Rose sidled up to John.

"Would you like some help with breakfast?"

"Always appreciated!"

Rose smiled, and planted a kiss on the corner of John's jawbone before turning to the table, which had newspaper parts scattered all over it. Then a breeze blew it all off onto the floor.

Rose just chuckled and shook her head.

^.v.^

Dave opened the door to Jade's room. A pile of stuffed animals was in one corner, with her laptop lunch box on top of it. Numerous scientific equipment parts were scattered all over a desk, and a four poster bed held the girl in question.

Dave walked over, setting his coffee on her nightstand. "Yo, Jade, time to get up. Your bro is making pancakes and bacon. Don't think you wanna miss out."

An incoherent mumble that sounded close to someone saying 'bite me' issued from the lump on the bed. Dave just chuckled, and sat on the bed, running his hands up and down the lump before finding the opening. He started to scratch her head, running his hand through her tangled raven locks.

Pretty soon, Jade was sitting up in the long red nightshirt Dave had gotten her. In black, scrawling type on the shirt, it said 'This is my sexy lingerie', which had prompted him to get it in the first place.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes, slipping on her glasses. Dave wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his chin on the top of her head.

"Glad you're up, babe."

Jade smirked, and turned to nuzzle into his collarbone. "You always know how to get me up." She sniffed in deeply. "Did you bring your coffee in here?"

"Yep."

Jade leaned over, and took a sip. Her eyes widened at the taste.

"Ok, I'm up now."

Dave laughed, something he didn't do often, except around Jade. He ruffled her hair, and then stood up, taking his coffee with him. Jade followed her boyfriend out of her room.

^.v.^

"Where the hell is that asshole?" Karkat was fuming, mainly because of the events that had just happened, and that John was not online. He had already messaged him multiple times, trying to get the boy's attention, but it was clearly not working.

Karkat threw his hands up in the air before slapping his legs as he glanced around the room in exasperation. Glancing at his computer screen again, he typed out a long message explaining what had happened barely minutes ago.

He stood up, walking out of the room to get something to eat, leaving the message online, where John would be able to see it.

^.v.^

"So you're going to be taking a vacation from work?" Rose asked John. All four of the kids were sitting at a table, chowing down on his cooking.

"Yeah. I've collected quite a lot of sick days," John said, leaning back, "Which helps..."

"When you act like a complete idiot." Dave finished, just as John's chair toppled over onto the floor. The girls attempted to muffle their laughter. John sat up, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead, laugh it up."

"Sorry John." Rose said, helping him up whilst giggling. "But where are you thinking of going?"

"Alternia. We haven't seen the trolls in a while. Besides, I heard Karkat and Nepeta are a thing now."

"Legit?"

"From the source."

"Wow."

Jade stood up, and began to collect everyone's plates. "That does sound like a good idea. Besides, Alternia is kinda fun."

Dave helped her. "I gotta agree, Jade."

John clapped his hands. "Settled then! I'm gonna go pester Karkat with this."

Rose smiled. "I guess it's my turn to do clean-up?"

They all nodded. Jade headed up the stairs.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. Dave, wanna help me wash my back?"

"Course babe." Dave started after his girlfriend. John followed, but went into his room. Pulling up at his computer, he noticed that Karkat was online, and had been messaging him.

"Huh." John opened up the pesterlog, eyes widening at the amount of grey text that filled the screen. His eyes continued to widen as he read Karkat's long message of events that had recently transpired.

John stood up, walked to the door, and bellowed for everyone to 'get the hell in here.'

^.v.^

The four kids stared at John's computer screen.

"So we are going to Alternia after all, huh?" was all that Dave said. Everyone just nodded.

"Poor Karkat." John said. Then he stood up.

"We should all get ready. I'll tell Karkat that we'll come, and to get the transportalizer on his end ready for us. Pack what you need, and get your strife specibuses ready. You never know what will happen while we're searching."

Rose, Dave, and Jade nodded before exiting the room. John turned to the computer, and began to type.

^.v.^

Karkat walked back into his room, a steaming mug in his hand. Beeping was filling the room, coming from his computer.

"So the bastard finally responded, huh?" he muttered to himself. He read the blue type.

Karkat stayed in his seat for a little bit before bounding out of the room, barking orders at the top of his lungs.

^.v.^

Soon, all of the trolls were gathered around the transportalizer, waiting. One figure stepped out, then another, and another, until all four of the kids were in the room.

"Hey Karkat. Good to see ya, though I wish it was under better circumstances..." John said, clapping one arm across the Cancer's shoulders.

"Yeah, I know." Karkat's expression crumbled.

"Don't worry, Karkat," Rose said, coming from greeting Kanya, "We'll find her."

The room was a big group of greetings and encoragement. Jade was nervous about Tavros' nose; turned out Nepeta had broken it.

"Okay, enough with the la-di-da shit, I called you guys here to help. And I'm standing up and organizing search parties. Everyone does one shift, and there will be two shifts per day: one from sun up till noon, and one from noon till sundown. We'll be swapping shifts around, but a shift doesn't mean you gotta be out there in the fucking woods. If anyone can do shit like fourth wall and seer stuff, you do that for your shift or until you've strained enough. We all clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then get the fuck outta here!"

^.v.^

Nepeta's eyelids were heavy. She shifted, and scents swamped her nose. Unfamiliar scents. Her ears twitched as she registered voices.

"Are you sure she is not dead?"

"Of course. I think I just saw her move."

Nepeta dragged her eyes open, but then scooted back, a scream dying in her throat.

A figure, vaugely humanoid with grey skin like a troll, was standing over her. But that was where the similarities ended. A thick scaly tail stretched out behind the female figure, two bat wings were slightly open, and her feet looked like that of a bird or dragon. Even her hands took on such an apperance. Her hair was white, and her eyes were pitch black. Long black horns stretched out from the top of her head, leaning backwards like that of a ram. Standing next to the weird troll was a large meowbeast, as big as Pounce was, but no double mouths; it had wings.

"Who-who are you?!" Nepeta managed, her voice shaking.

The humanoid thing smiled, her mouth full of fangs. "Forgive me my dear. My name is Sumya, and this is my mate, Hibano." As she was saying that, she gestured to the winged meowbeast.

"M-mate?" Nepeta was confused.

"Yes, well, I'm a black blood. We are trolls who are part beast."

"Did mew bring me here?"

"Oh yes, reeling you in like the puppet you were. After taking you over, it was easy, except that your friends had to come and follow you."

Flashes of memory came back to Nepeta- fighting in a cave, Karkat's frantic expression...

"You." Nepeta's voice dripped with venom.

"You made me sick! You made me fight my friends, my meowrail, my matesprit...you took me away from efurryone I care about!"

Nepeta lunged at the black blood, only to end up sprawled on the floor, four gashes in her cheek.

"Oo, an olive blood!" Sumya said playfully, as if she didn't care what she had done. She licked the trace amounts of Nepeta's blood off her talons, savoring it as if it was her favorite food.

_She's crazier than Vriska!_ Panic flooded Nepeta's mind.

"Anyway little olive blood, I have a task for you. You see that egg?" Sumya gestured to a large, spherical object that was a light blue like the sky. "I need you to hatch it for me."

"That's it?" Nepeta asked.

"Oh no. When it does hatch, I want you to kill whatever comes out."

Nepeta recoiled. "That's sick!"

"Is it? If you do this for me, I will let you go. Do we have a deal?" Sumya said, one hand behind her back as she stretched the other one forward. Nepeta looked at the hand, then at the black blood's face. Finally, she grasped the hand.

"Deal."

Sumya straightened up. "Perfect. The room you're in now is your quarters; you will be staying here for the duration. If you need anything, do not hesitate to find us." She turned on her heel and left, Hibano right behind her.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Hibano turned to his mate. "Dear, you had your fingers crossed when you shook hands with her."

Sumya smiled. "I know I did."


	3. Chapter 3

**PLW: So I realized soon after I posted the last chapter that I didn't put anything in, but I was pressed for time, so I'm just gonna put a little bit about the last chapter in here. **

**So yes, I did create a different blood caste, and they are mutants like Karkat. The beast thing came later, winged trolls sounded fun. So I expanded, and you got the blood caste that is in here. Now you may think that black bloods are evil. This is not so, and will be displayed this chapter. It's just that Sumya is sadistic, and I designed her that way. **

**And about Sumya. Yes, she has mind control powers, but she is also psychic, kinda like that girl from Fantastic Four. She prefers to be physical, cause using her mind tires her, and she gets high off of it. And Hibano just follows her, cause he loves her. **

**Anyway, things are gonna happen, and like TailsDoll13 said, shit's gonna get real**

^.v.^

"You gotten anything lately?" Karkat asked Jade. She shook her head, and his face fell.

It had been almost two weeks since Nepeta had been taken. No new developments had come about, from both scouring the area and searching the cave network where they had last seen her. Karkat had been running himself ragged, searching on both shifts. Jade and Rose worked as hard as they could to see where Nepeta was, but nothing came of it.

Karkat was faintly aware of Jade tilting his head up.

"Jesus Christ Karkat, you need to sleep. You look like something Bec dragged in." Karkat's eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under them.

"Go get some sleep. Ifsomething happens, we'll let you know."

Karkat acknowledged her with a nod, and stumbled to the hallway. Terezi, beeing a Seer, and Rose, came up behind Jade.

"He really loves her, doesn't he." Rose said.

"He saved her from death, and hid his crush for sweeps. So yeah, he is really flushed for her."

^.v.^

Karkat was moving down the hall blindly. He came upon a familiar door, opened it, and crashed on the bed. When his eyes cleared, they began to fill with diluted red tears.

He was in Nepeta's room.

Her smell, an earthy scent mixed with pine, permeated the room, along with his. Her pictures covered the walls, and one was on the pillow, probably from the breeze flowing from holes in the tape over the broken window. He picked it up, and quickly had to drop it to keep himself from staining it red. He recognized it.

For his wriggling day, John had given him a human game, called Super Paper Mario. Karkat had played it, and Nepeta had liked to watch him play it. The story was weird, but then it turned out to be the saddest romance story ever. Nepeta had drawn almost everyone as one of the characters, and this picture was one of them.

Nepeta was Tippi, or Timpani, dressed in a long, high-low sleeveless with the same wings from the game. Karkat was Count Bleck, in a suit, cape, top hat, and monocle, leaning on a diamond tipped cane. She was sitting, turned twoards him, the two holding hands.

Karkat lay there, quietly crying, when he realized how much he needed her. Her warm smile, her encouraging words, Nepeta was there to soothe him and keep him happy. He didn't just love her, he loved her from the bottom of his heart, with every breath in his body, with his whole being.

"And," he muttered to himself, dousing the sheets with his tears, "it took one person taking her from me to realize that."

^.v.^

Nepeta wandered the vast cavern that Sumya called home. The tracker that Sumya had planted on her skin, which Nepeta had removed herself, bumped in her pocket.

Nepeta was trying to find Hibano, who was the nicer of the two. Whenever Nepeta asked Sumya something she didn't like, Nepeta would find herself on the ground with a new wound or welt. She still didn't know why Sumya had an egg or why she needed to hatch it instead of the one who had brought her here.

Nepeta's ear rose as she heard voices, and stalked over, quiet as could be. Sumya was raging about something.

"I've told you time and time again, Hibano, I do not want anything to do with Ailee. Why our daughter had to go mate with a troll instead of the beast we had prepared for her is beyond me, but then she had to go and lay that egg. Good riddance to her I say, and her blood was especially sweet."

Hibano spoke up. "But again, why did we take the olive blood?"

"I will not hatch it, not only because the child inside is an abomination, because I have already killed a black blood. It's a law among us, you know this. Also, it is not my egg, and so not my responsibility. I want to let the child have a taste of life, only to have it ripped from them by that girl's claws."

Hibano nodded. Nepeta wanted to vomit. _She killed her own daughter, and wants me to kill her grandchild just for what it is! _

Hibano was speaking again. Nepeta strained to listen, squelching the bile rising in her throat.

"And once she has done her task, she will be culled?"

"Yes, Hibano. We cannot let our secret come to the light of other trolls. That would lead to our extinction. So we will kill her as soon as she kills the creature inside."

That did it. Nepeta ran for her room, olive tears trailing down, her hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

^.v.^

Nepeta sat on the bed, hugging herself. She shook, and wished ferverently that Karkat was there, wrapping his warm, strong arms around her, telling her that everything would be alright.

"She lied," Nepeta whispered. "Sumya lied to me. And she killed her daughter and wants me to kill her grandchild. I'll never see Karkitty or Equius or anybody again. Is she just that sadistic?"

Nepeta glanced at the egg, which sat in a sunbeam on the bed. She remembered Jade showing her a trick; holding an egg up to a bright light would give you a glimpse of the hatchling inside. She carefully grasped the egg with both hands, and held it up to the light. A humanoid figure was inside, taking up most of the space. She could see a tiny tail and wings, as well as horns.

A feeling washed over Nepeta, one that she couldn't describe. A smile, something Nepeta hadn't done since she had been captured, stretched across her face. It was small, but it was still a smile. She held the egg to her chest, and hugged it, resting her chin on it.

"I'm not gonna kill you," she murmured to the being inside. "I'm gonna take care of you. Your mother was killed, but you'll still have one. I'll be your mother."

**PLW: Told you shit was gonna happen. So yeah, Nepeta is going to be the mother figure for Sumya's grandchild. And don't give me suggestions for gender and name, I planned it out. **

**The only thing that belongs to me is the black bloods. Everything else belongs to Andrew Hussie.**


	4. Chapter 4

Nepeta jabbed at the air, her claws unsheathed. She ducked and rolled, hiding behind the bed. She continued to do such movements until she was covered in sweat. She peeled off her trenchcoat and plopped down on the bed, lying down next to the egg, absentmindedly stroking the light blue shell.

It had been some days since Nepeta had learned the real reason behind her capture. During the past days, she had planned her escape, waiting for the egg to hatch. In the meantime, she had practiced her fighting and stealth skills. She had a bag with food and milk waiting in the room, things that she had stolen in the dead of the night.

Nepeta's mind wandered. She thought of her friends, and how they were doing. Thoughts of Karkat wandered briefly, and she felt a pang in her chest. She missed him deeply, and the egg was the only thing that tied her here.

Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed around the room. Nepeta sat bolt upright, staring at the egg. Cracks were beginning to mar the surface, and Nepeta was glad that Sumya and Hibano were out hunting; to her, the sound of the egg hatching was louder than Jade's gun.

Nepeta ran to grab a towel, one that she had used the day before. She had hung it through the large hole in the wall that served as a window. She had practiced holding things while climbing out to the ground, and had been largely successful. Now, she set the towel down next to the egg. She would use it to dry off the hatchling, and get it used to her scent.

Horns poked through the shell, and Nepeta unsheathed a single claw. She picked off parts of the shell, sometimes breaking it to aid the hatchling inside. She was calm while working, but inside she was screaming.

_I'm practically becoming a mom! _Doubt began to swim in her head. _What if something is wrong with the hatchling? What if Karkat doesn't like it? _She shook her head. _I can't worry about that now. I'll cross those bridges once I get to them. For right now, I gotta focus on hatching it and getting outta here!_

Pretty soon, a shivering wet baby, tiny wings pressed against its grey back, was curled up on the remains of the shell. Nepeta had run out when it seemed like the hatchling could manage on its own, and now she came back in with a warm wet washcloth. She briskly rubbed down the hatchling before wrapping it up in the towel, shrugging on the pack and dropping Sumya's tracker onto the bed next to the eggshell bits and goo. She held the hatchling close and climbed out the makeshift window, carefully climbing to the ground and taking off like a shot, running in the direction of the large twisted tree that grew some distance from the troll's expansive hive, which she had seen from the window

^.v.^

Sumya dropped the carcass in what she called the preparation room. She groaned as she did so, her joints catching up with her. Hibano came up behind her, dropping his own load.

"You alright dear?"

"Never better!"

Hibano smiled and kissed her, before sniffing the air deeply.

"Is that water on the floor?"

Sumya looked down. Sure enough, a trail of water droplets passed in front of them, heading for the room the olive blood occupied. She headed after it, calling out to their captive. Hibano stayed behind to move the carcasses.

A little bit later, a loud scream echoed through the house. Hibano ran after it, arriving at the room. He saw Sumya with her tracker in one claw, staring at the mess of eggshell and goo on the bed, a semi-dry washcloth on the floor next to it.

"Sumya? Darling?"

Sumya growled, a deep bass sound that made Hibano shiver. She clenched a fist, breaking the tracker.

"She hatched it and took it. She didn't kill it and ran. Oh, I'm going to find her, and enjoy ripping her throat out before taking control of her lifeless body and shredding that little abomination!"

Sumya roared out the window. Hibano joined her, a message to the olive blood that they knew, and would hunt her down.

^.v.^

Nepeta's legs burned, but she kept going. Night was falling, and she needed to find shelter for herself and her new charge. Soon, she spotted an overhang of rock, perfectly camoflauged behind bushes and other plants. It would provide good cover.

Nepeta dropped the pack, but held the hatchling close, supporting the tiny head and neck with one hand. She hunted for brushwood, and started a fire, filling her makeshift camp with light. She sat down, and unwrapped the bundle, thoroughly inspecting the hatchling that she was risking everything for.

It squirmed, looking like a grub that had just molted. The only differences were the tiny amount of black hair that covered the top of its head, two candy-corn horns leaning back, just like their grandmother's, but smaller. Its tail was thick and furred with a tuft at the end, also black. Fur covered the hands, with pads like paws. The feet were bent like that of a meowbeast or barkbeast, giving the hatchling a look like it would always be walking on tiptoe. Tiny claws peeked out of the thin covering of fur. Like a grub's, the eyes were shiny and it's blood color, in this case pitch black. Nepeta peeked down below: she had a tiny girl on her hands. She whimpered, and Nepeta's heart melted.

"Aww. You are too much little miss." She cooed, cuddling her daughter close. "I'll call you Ailee, after your lay mother." Nepeta reached into the pack and brought out a now slightly warm bottle of milk, uncorking it and holding it to Ailee's lips.

"Here you go."

Ailee guzzled it greedily. When she was done, Nepeta whiped her clean, then tucked her into the coat, buttoning it up to hold them both. She laid back with Ailee on her chest, and held her close before reaching into a hidden pocket inside the coat, drawing out yet another tracker; this time, it was of Equius's making.

With help from Dirk, Equius was able to finish mechanical projects. Karkat had put in a request for a tracker/receiver set soon after he and Nepeta had become matesprits. The small circular devices would either send out a signal or recive one from the other. They were helpful, like now.

Nepeta pushed a button on the middle of the device. A tiny ring of green lights lit up in a pattern: one would light, then the next one while the first died out, and so on. Nepeta tucked it back into the pocket, smothered the fire, and curled up around Ailee like Pounce had done when she was a grub.

^.v.^

Karkat slept fitfully in Nepeta's room. He had been staying in there since her disappearance, taking comfort in her things.

A beeping sound filled the room, rousing him. He grumbled and sat up, heading for the husktop. Then he remembered that Nepeta didn't have a husktop, she had a tablet.

The beeping was coming from his pants, which were on the floor. They were also glowing red. He reached into his pocket, and shakily took out his tracker-receiver. All of the red lights were glowing, going in and out with the beeps. Karkat stared at it, and tears began to fall.

"She's alive."

**PLW: Sorry that it took so long to load! Also I know it's short, but I will make the next one longer. I still have to figure out how I'm going to write the fight scene, but for now, enjoy this sweet little thing. **

**Also, it's hatched! Isn't Ailee cute? I tried to give her some beast stuff while making her troll-like too. And for the fact that Nepeta could tell that it was a girl, that's my own thing. I honestly do not think of all trolls as hermaphrodites, so gender is easily told after they molt. That and the build of male and female grubs is different. They also smell different. **

**So please enjoy and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Nepeta's consciousness began to emerge from the realm of the dreams. She felt nothing on her chest, which alarmed her, but a quick pat down revealed that Ailee was now in the crook of her arm, snug against her side, still in the coat. She smiled, and rubbed her thumb against Ailee's soft baby down, nuzzling the top of her head.

Nepeta sat up, keeping Ailee in place, eliminating any evidence of the camp. After sweeping away the ashes of the previous night's fire, she opened her coat, moving Ailee into the towel again and shrugging on the pack. She set off at a brisk pace, wanting to get to the hive as soon as possible. The roaring yesterday had occured a few hours after she left, but Nepeta didn't know how much ground Sumya could cover.

^.v.^

"Are you sure it's this way, Karbro?"

" I am sure Gamzee. Now for the however fucking many times it's been, stop screwing around!"

Karkat's patience was about to snap. After the tracker had gone off, he had wanted to get out and find Nepeta immediately. However, it had been pitch black, and everyone asleep. So he had had to wait until the sun rose to get everyone together and get out.

They had been using the tracker as a guide. As they got closer, the beeping would increase, so Karkat was waving it around, waiting for it to speed up before heading in that direction. They had been doing it for two hours now, and seemed no closer than when they had started.

John swooped down, having been flying ahead. Since the shape that had knocked them out had been swooping around the cave, it made sense that it would flying to seatch for Nepeta as well.

"Um, I just saw something off in the distance. It was just a black dot, but do you think-"

John got cut off as an ear-splitting roar sounded from the distance. Birds scattered, and a minute later, a scream sounded. It was familiar, and filled Karkat with dread.

Karkat ran in the direction of the roar, everyone following. More sounds echoed, the tracker's beeping speeding up with every step they took.

^.v.^

Nepeta hunkered down into the ditch, trying to stop Ailee from whimpering. Thankfully she had stopped crying, which had been caused by the sudden appearance of Sumya.

The elder black blood was sniffing around, trying to find Nepeta and Ailee.

"I know you're there little olive blood. Come out, come out wherever you are..." Sumya chanted in a singsong voice.

Nepeta peered between the edge of the ditch and the trunk of the dead tree that provided some cover. There was a cracking sound, and some flakes of wood drifted down. Claws peered over the edge of the tree, and Nepeta whimpered, tiny compared to Ailee's.

"YOU."

Nepeta gasped, and a tiny olive tear traced its way down her cheek. She recognized the voice; she had been there during his mad times, sad times, and happy times. Even though it was a growl and filled with venom and hatred, she knew that it could be soft and caring as well.

"Karkitty."

^.v.^

The ragtag group of humans and trolls ran until Karkat suddenly stopped. The beeping was now a steady, long whine. A figure, a cross between a dragon and a troll, was there, about to peer into a ditch partially covered by a fallen tree. Terezi poked Karkat's arm.

"That's the scent from the cave!" She hissed.

Karkat dropped the tracker into the dirt, and two multicolored sickles appeared in his hands.

"YOU." He snarled. Sumya's head whipped up, and a grin crossed her face.

"Oh yes, hello again, though I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Sumya," the black blood spread her claws wide, "and I'll be your executioner today."

"Where is she?!" Karkat bellowed. "I know you took her!"

Sumya made a noise of disapproval. "Such bad manners. But we will fix them, won't we dear?"

Hibano landed beside her. "Of course."

^.v.^

Nepeta winced as feet and paws thundered over, and war cries rose from multiple throats. Soon, she could still hear them, it was just fainter. A grey hand reached down. She could see a bright red skirt, as well as blue flats and orange clothing.

"Nepeta?" Kanya's soft voice drifted in. "Are you down there?"

The Leo took the offered hand, keeping Ailee close. Kanya pulled her out, Rose helping as well. The two of them gawked at Nepeta's state. The troll girl was usually thin, but this was thinner than normal. Her clothes were ripped in places, revealing her healing bruises and gashes. Her eyes were tired, but determined.

Kanya noticed the whimpering bundle that Nepeta held close. "Nepeta, what is that?"

She realized that Ailee was beginning to cry again, and started to soothe her.

"Kanya, Rose, this is Ailee. She's my daughter."

The two of them went bug-eyed when Nepeta said 'daughter.' But Nepeta assured them it wasn't in a biological way, and they started to head back to the hive. Since Nepeta wasn't in good shape, and Ailee was too young to fight, they needed to get them to a safe area.

Of course, things weren't that simple. A screech sounded, and flapping wings began to draw closer.

Nepeta cursed, and held Ailee out to Kanya.

"Please, take her."

"Nepeta, you are too weak to fight! You need to get out of here!"

Nepeta shook her head, carefully placing Ailee in the jade-blood's hands. "No, I can fight her. Besides, it's me Sumya wants." Nepeta unsheathed her claws, and shrugged off her coat, turning to meet the figure that was drawing closer by the second.

"And I need to make that bitch pay for the hell she put me through."

^.v.^

(A few minutes earlier...)

The area of woods was a mess. Trees were slashed and broken, and blood was everywhere. Sumya and Hibano were quicker than they had thought, and it was becoming difficult to bring them down.

Karkat was trying to slash open Sumya's wings. The black blood darted away, with very little damage. Her tail coiled and smacked Karkat on the back, knocking him to the ground.

The others were also trying with little success. Suddenly, a strangled cry broke, and a loud thump was heard. Sumya turned, her eyes widening, and she screeched.

Hibano lay on the ground, his neck twisted at an odd angle. Equius was nearby, panting and staring at his hands. Sumya flew over, and knelt at her mate's side. Fighting ceased for a minute.

Then Sumya turned around. Her voice was harsh and scratchy, her eyes blazing with newfound fury.

"This is her fault...it's all her fault...this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't disobeyed me..."

Sumya screeched again. The kids and trolls were thrown back by an unseen force, knocking them out. Sumya grasped the opportunity and flew towards the scent of Nepeta and Ailee.

Karkat woke seconds later, glimpsing Sumya's tail. The realization of her words hit him over the head, and he staggered to his feet. He began to race in the same direction.

"...Nepeta!"

^.v.^

Sumya stood over Nepeta, glaring, ready to kill. Kanya had passed Ailee on to Rose, and had her chainsaw at the ready.

"This is all your fault! Things would not be this way if you had just behaved like a good little captive should!" Sumya was practically frothing at the mouth as she roared at Nepeta, blaming her for all that had happened.

"If I had behaved, you would have killed me! You would have used me, and broken our deal! And I hate people like you!" Nepeta yelled back. Sumya screeched again, and the two dove at each other.

Kanya and Rose stepped back. The two were equals; huntresses who had lived in seclusion for most of their life, fit and stealthy, each deadly in their own way. But Nepeta was tired and wounded from the abuse she had recived at the hands of her captors, while Sumya was fit and healthy, nary a scratch or bruise on her skin. But Sumya was consumed by rage, which clouded her thoughts and judgement, while Nepeta's mind was sharp and focused.

The two circled in a deadly dance. One would wound, then the other would retaliate. They were locked in a stalemate, unable for one to advance farther than the other.

Finally, Sumya whipped her tail, catching Nepeta full on the chest, flinging her into a tree. The troll girl collapsed into a heap at the base.

"Nepeta!" Kanya yelled. The jade blood was torn between helping her friend and fulfilling her promise to the olive blood. Rose was trying to soothe Ailee, who was wailing at the top of her tiny lungs.

Sumya towered over the troll. Nepeta raised her head shakily as Sumya readied her claws. Then the black blood squwaked, and turned. Black blood trailed as her tail turned, a fresh wound along the side.

Karkat stood there, dirty and bruised. His remaing sicle dripped with Sumya's blood, and his eyes practically glowed.

"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!"

Sumya growled, and lunged forward, knocking Karkat to the ground. One hand gripped his neck, the other ready to tear his eyes out.

Karkat struggled against the iron grip constricting his windpipe. He had seen Nepeta get tossed like a ragdoll, and, without thinking, leaped forward and cut the taller troll's tail. He had distracted Sumya, but that had been a fool's move.

He was going to die.

Then Sumya reared back. Skinny grey arms, covered with bruises, cuts, and healing scabs, snaked around her neck. A familiar face, scowling with hate and determination, peered over her shoulder, growling as Sumya screeched.

"KEEP YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF OF MY MATESPRIT YOU MURDEROUS SACK OF SHIT!" Nepeta yelled. Karkat's eyes widened at her language, and the venomous tone in her voice.

"Whelp! You think you can beat me?!" Sumya yelled. She took off, climbing into the air, Nepeta hanging on with all of her strength.

"This is for all of those days you held me captive and beat me!" Nepeta slashed at the membrane of Sumya's right wing. A pained roar shot out of her throat as she struggled to stay aloft.

"This is for my friends, who you hurt beyond anything!" Nepeta slashed at the wing's joint, mangling it. Sumya was now loosing altitude fairly quickly.

Nepeta leaned back on Sumya's back, raising her free hand.

"And this is for my matesprit, and my daughter."

Nepeta plunged her claws into the back of Sumya's neck, burying them deep. Nepeta had moved her hand that was around the neck, but she felt the blades go through the skin. A dying curse bubbled out of Sumya's mouth, and they fell. Nepeta realised how high they had gotten, and fear began to grip her.

"Nepeta! Jump! I'll catch you!"

She placed her trust in her matesprit and jumped, arms outstreched.

Karkat was moving back and forth, when a falling figure, small and thin, crashed into him, knocking them onto the ground.

"Oof." Karkat hoisted his torso up, and realized that Nepeta had thrown her arms around him, and was shaking. Olive tears flowed freely down her face. Karkat sat up and hugged her tightly, a few tears tracing their way down his face.

"I-I-I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again...I-"

"Shhh." Karkat smoothed Nepeta's hair, holding her close. "It's okay. I'm here now. You're alive, and your back with me."

They stayed locked like that until Nepeta realized that Ailee was shreiking now. She disentangled herself from Karkat, and ran over to Rose.

The baby troll's face was streaked black, and flushed, tears sliding down. Nepeta quickly took Ailee and cuddled her close, murmuring to her.

"Shh, it's okay Ailee, it's okay, Momma's here. The big bad woman is gone, she's not gonna hurt you anymore..."

Soon, Ailee's cries dwindled to whimpers, and finally to sniffling. Nepeta just rocked her back and forth, until Karkat's voice sounded just above her shoulder.

"Nepeta, who, or what, is that?"

The olive blood turned to face her matesprit. Ailee also turned, interested by this new smell that was mixed with that of her mother's.

"Well..." Nepeta looked at the baby in her arms, then smiled up at Karkat. "It's a long story."

Karkat smiled gently. "I can wait."

The others had gotten up, and had gotten there around this time. They all started back to the hive, filled with relief that they had gotten their missing member back.

**PLW: Aaand, that's a wrap!**

**...Not really, there's one more chapter. But I finally got off my dead duff and wrote this! And I'm glad it's super long. I don't know about the fight scene; I'm not very good at that kind of stuff, so feedback please!**

**I own none of the characters except for Ailee, Sumya, and Hibano. Everyone else belongs to Andrew Hussie.**


	6. Chapter 6

"...And, well, you know the rest because you- ah!- you were there, and so was everybody else."

Karkat closed up the first aid kit and sat on the bed next to Nepeta. She was covered in bandages, resting in an olive tank top and black boy shorts. During the impromptu doctor appointment, Nepeta had filled Karkat in on what had happened to her during the past weeks.

They sat in silence for a moment. "That must have been terrifying." Karkat spoke.

"Well, it was a little scary, but it seemed better when I kept thinking of getting back home. Then when Sumya shredded that, I still thought of getting back and showing you Ailee. She's so young but she's the sweetest little thing ever."

Karkat watched Nepeta, noting how she fidgeted as she talked about the hatchling, who was currently with Kanya as the jade blood made a pair of clothes for her.

"Um, Karkitty, I-I was thinking... I know I brought Ailee here without you knowing, and you've only known her for a little bit, but-"

"You're wondering if I'm gonna help you."

She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Then her eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Nepeta, you've known me for- how many sweeps has it been? Anyways, have you ever known me to not do accept something like this? I know it's gonna be hard, but fuck it, we've got ten others here to help as well."

Karkat opened his mouth to say more, but he was cut off as Nepeta smashed her lips to his, knocking him back on the bed. His eyes widened, but he closed them, savoring it.

They stayed like that until Nepeta pulled back, both panting a little.

"Gog damn it, I missed you so much," she said in one breath before he pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her. Her tongue swiped at his lips, and he obliged, tilting his head to deepen it. Their hands seemed to have minds of their own, hers sliding up his shirt, nails trailing along his chest, while one of his ran down her front as another trailed to down below...

A quiet knock sounded at the door. Nepeta reluctantly broke their session. "Th-that's probably Kanya with Ailee," she stammered, regaining her composure as she headed for the door, Karkat sitting back up.

"Was that a hint for later?" He teased. She smiled and twirled around, walking backwards.

"If you're a good kitty, I might reward you." He smirked.

"I can't wait."

Nepeta rolled her eyes, and opened the door. Sure enough, Kanya was standing there, Ailee now in a black onesie and sucking on her fist.

"Thanks Kanya. Was she much trouble?"

"No, not at all. She slept through most of it, actually."

Ailee squealed a little, releasing her fist as she flung her paws out to her mother. Nepeta giggled, taking her and closing the door. She turned and walked back to the bed. Karkat's eyes met Ailee's, her's widening at the mixture of scents.

"Say hi to your new daughter!" Nepeta said, sitting beside him. She gently plunked Ailee into Karkat's arms, situating her before leaning back.

Ailee stared wide eyed at Karkat, who was sweating bullets. Soon, Ailee reached down, grabbing his finger, and holding tight. The goofiest of grins stretched across his face as both Nepeta and Ailee giggled.

^.v.^

Equius stopped at the door to Nepeta's room. Both her and Karkat had disappeared into there earlier, and were likely still inside.

He carefully grasped the knob so as not to break it, and turned it, opening the door just a crack. Inside, Nepeta and Karkat were curled up facing each other, her holding Ailee while his arms held her, all three of them asleep.

The tiniest of smiles crossed Equius's face as he closed the door.

**PLW: YEEEEE! I finally got off my dead duff and posted the last chapter! **

**Big shout out to all of those who have followed, favorited, and commented on this story! I wish I could list you all O^O Thank you so much!**


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